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Of: John granlund, Olof Svensson
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Sweden is at risk of power outages, and a new report highlights the server rooms of Internet giants.
A previously unknown list shows that several of the international tech companies are planning server rooms that consume around 500 MW, almost double the electricity consumed by all of Uppsala.
– It is on the order of half a nuclear power plant, says Lennart Söder, professor of electrical energy at KTH.
Aftonbladet’s review of Google, Amazon and Facebook server establishments shows how the government has invested money in international internet giants for years.
The million subsidies have provided few jobs and little tax revenue. There is also another aspect related to the establishment: Sweden is at risk of serious problems with electrical capacity as a result.
In a new report sent to the government, the Electricity Market Inspectorate writes that server rooms are very electricity-intensive businesses where the need for a single store may correspond to the need for a medium-sized Swedish city.
The authority lists several regions where an acute capacity shortage is expected. The hardest hit is Mälardalen, where Amazon is now building several large server rooms.
Twice more than Uppsala
For several months, Aftonbladet has asked to participate in the amount of electricity that the grid giants want to take from the Swedish power grid with their server rooms.
But Svenska kraftnät has refused to release the information, claiming that tech companies want the figures to remain trade secrets.
On Thursday, the authority partially agreed and provided a list of how much electricity companies have requested to charge for the establishment of server rooms since 2015.
The list shows that an application has been approved to build a server room that consumes 500 megawatts of electricity. It is almost double the electricity that Uppsala consumes (the city currently has a capacity of 290 MW).
Photo: Pontus Orre
Amazon web services server room in Kjula, outside Eskilstuna.
Google, Amazon and Microsoft
Another player has been given the green light to charge 461 megawatts.
– Its alot. It can be said to be on the order of half a nuclear power plant, says Lennart Söder, professor of electrical energy at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
In total, Svenska kraftnät has granted requests for 1,322 megawatts during the period and there are a total of requests for 2,015 megawatts.
Svenska kraftnät has not yet wanted to reveal which companies they are. But the authority confirms that Google, Amazon and Microsoft are on the list.
An ongoing court hearing in the Land and Environment Court gives an indication of energy consumption with respect to one of the companies: Amazon Web Services.
Photo: KTH
Lennart Söder, professor of electrical energy at KTH.
It can be difficult to build houses
In order to obtain a permit to build diesel generators that will be used to guarantee electricity even in the event of a power outage, Amazon has been forced to report how much the server rooms will consume in Eskilstuna, Västerås and Katrineholm. This is about 140 megawatts per plant, giving a total electricity consumption for Amazon in Mälardalen of 420 megawatts.
– Sounds a lot. It is approximately three times the maximum consumption of Enköping what fits in the network, in each room, says Elon Axberg, analyst of the Energy Market Inspection.
According to the Energy Market Inspection report, it may even be difficult to build residential areas in certain cities where there is a lack of capacity.
Photo: Robin Thunholm
Elon Axberg, analyst with the Energy Market Inspection.
Poorer energy balance during winter
The problem is not expected to be fully resolved until 2030, when the transmission capacity in the networks will be fully developed. According to the report, it will cost 50 billion Swedish crowns.
Tobias Edfast, manager of the network development unit at Svenska kraftnät, says that planned server rooms will affect power balance and power balance because they involve such large electrical outlets.
– We can have a worse balance of power in the winter when we have the biggest withdrawals.
What does that mean?
– That it will be a challenge in the future how we will cover electricity consumption during all hours.
PODD Reporters on the Internet giants
Aftonbladet Daily talks to Olof Svensson and John Granlund.
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